The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Nickel-Cadium Battery

What are NiCd batteries?Batteries a very useful piece of equipment that are used in various applications. A battery is a special type of container designed and built with one or several number of cells that stores and converts chemical energy into electricity.

It is a portable piece of invention that is used to supply power in different applications. There are different types of batteries used in a multitude of applications and today we will be looking closely into one of the most common type, the Nickel Cadmium or NiCd battery.

This article will give you a complete overview regarding this type of battery, it will also provide you a list of the Nickel Cadmium battery advantages and disadvantages to help you understand what it has to offer. Having a complete knowledge about this type of battery will help you understand why some industries prefer it over other types of power cells.

You will also have an idea of how you can use this type of power cell for your own purpose or application. To begin learning all the information you need to know about the NiCd battery, just continue reading below.

What Is A Nickel Cadmium Battery?

What is it?Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) battery is a type of rechargeable power cell that stores nickel oxide hydroxide as well as metallic cadmium electrodes to provide energy. It is a type of battery that features an airtight container to prevent the leaking of corrosive electrolytes.

This is a type that is cheaper to produce compared to other types of power cells available in the market. It has cell of potential of 1.2 volts and it is an affordable type of battery that is used to power a great range of devices and equipment.

When this type of power cell was introduced, it rocked a lot of industries because of the features that it offers. A standard NiCd battery offer up to 60% higher capacity over other types, that is why it has became the prefered power cell used for a lot of devices.

The most common devices that uses this kind of battery include two-way radios, power tools, video cameras and different types of emergency medical equipment. However, nickel cadmium batteries may suffer a “Memory Effect”, a common problem that happens to most of types of batteries.

It is a condition where if the battery is discharged and then it recharged to the same state for hundreds of time, it may seem to remember the previous amount of energy it delivered. When this is happens and starting to be a regular routine for the battery, the battery will lose its full potential.

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How Does A Nickel-Cadmium Battery Work?

Now that we defined what a NiCd battery is, it is time to look deeper in to it. We can now take a look at the advantages and disadvantages that it has to offer. Both of them are discussed and listed below, so feel free to read on and learn more about them.

Advantages

What is good about?Nickel Cadmium batteries are available a range of sizes, they can be manufactured in various sizes, shapes and specifications. It is a type of battery that can power all sorts of devices and equipment in all sizes.

One of the best asset that this battery system offers is that it is the only type of power cell that can ultra-fast charged, making it the prefered battery type of many industries. It is also very affordable unlike other modern battery systems.

With a cheaper selling price, a lot of manufacturing companies prefer nickel cadmium batteries to power the products that they offer. Nickel based power cells also offer good low-temperature performance compared to other types in the market. They are not greatly affected low temperatures, so they can provide the performance that you need during the winter.

It can also provide optimum performance in any type of climate, greatly reducing the downtime of the device or equipment that it powers. With these features and benefits, a lot of industries use this power cell in a multitude of uses and applications.

Having to offer excellent performance under any type of condition boosts productivity and expedites operations. So a lot of industries prefer it as their primary option to power their equipment and devices.

List Summary of Advantages:

● Excellent performance under any type of condition including low temperatures
● Only power cell that can be charged in an ultra-fast rate
● Economically sound and cheaper compared to other battery types
● Tough and durable, allowing it to have a longer shelf life
● Can be manufactured in various sizes and can power any type of device
● Reduces equipment or device downtime and boosts productivity

Disadvantages

What is bad about?The nickel cadmium battery system offers low energy density when it is compared to other newer battery systems available today. It can be considered as a weaker power if compared to the newer power cell technologies of today.

Yes, it can offer great performance but it can also oftenly discharged. This simply means that it may require you to charge it before every use.

One of the biggest disadvantage of this type battery is the risk of suffering from “memory effect”. As explained above, this condition will reduce the potential of the battery that will lead a lot of negative issues.

The use toxic metals is a problem of this battery because the metallic elements that it uses are harmful to the environment.

List Summary of Disadvantages:

● Lower energy density compared to other new power cell technologies available today
● The risk of suffering from “Memory Effect” that will lessen or decrease its performance
● Higher rate of self-discharge that will require users to frequently charge the battery
● The use of toxic metallic elements that is considered to be harmful to the environment

Conclusion

Nickel Cadmium batteries are excellent power source that offers a lot of great benefits. Aside from being the cheaper battery technology available today, they also also offer longer shelf life. This makes it a good option to power devices and equipment that are required to operate on a regular basis.

These batteries can also be manufactured in different sizes that allows it power different types of devices and equipment. However, the risk of suffering from memory effect and the use of toxic metallic elements are the main drawbacks of this type of power cell technology.

Having to learn the Nickel-Cadmium batteries advantages and disadvantages, you will now understand why some people or industries prefer using it. It will help you to come up with a sensible decision if you are planning to buy a battery to power your devices, tools or equipment.

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